


Sing Me A Song

by Anonymous



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), I just needed more from this iconic duo, I mean honestly, Lullabies, Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, Toph Beifong-centric, Toph Being Awesome, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, we stan toko sibling fics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:07:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26390890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: "Sparky? What are you still doing up?"
Relationships: Toph Beifong & Zuko
Comments: 10
Kudos: 74
Collections: Anonymous





	Sing Me A Song

**Author's Note:**

> Toko sibling fics are the reasons why I still keep going.

"Sparky? What are you still doing up?" Toph asked, making her way over to the firebender from her makeshift bed. "Uhm... I... I couldn't sleep." Zuko muttered, and Toph tilted her head. "What? Why?" She asked and Zuko shrugged, he's still a fresh member to their group, talking about his nightmares made him feel uncomfortable. "S'okay if you don't wanna talk about it. You're still new to this... Gang thing so, I don't expect you to say much." Toph said, as if reading his mind. 

"Thanks." Zuko muttered and Toph sent him a kind smile. "So what do you usually do, since you can't sleep." Toph asked, and Zuko merely shrugged, "Eh, just sit around, try to go back to sleep, or I just meditate. Work on my breathing and stuff." Toph nodded her head, "No wonder you're so exhausted! Hate to break it to you, Sparky, but you're a little sluggish for a firebender. "Oh... Really? Sorry." Toph sighed, "There's nothing to be sorry for. We're all children in the middle of a war. Being exhausted is fine." She said, and Zuko nodded, "Right. Sorry." Toph looked at him, "What-" "So-" "Sparky! Quit apologizing! Sweet spirits!" She said exasperatedly, and Zuko merely shrugged, biting his tongue to avoid apologizing. 

"What's it like... Leaving the fire nation? Was it hard?" Toph asked, "No, not really. I mean, I know I was the prince and all, but I wasn't really... Y'know..." Toph nodded in understanding. "Well... I did have a girlfriend... Her name's Mai." Zuko said, remembering the gloomy girl, wondering if Azula'd killed her after betraying her back at the prison, or maybe she's currently in a prison and alive. "She's one of your sister's friends right?" "Yeah... I miss her." Zuko admitted sadly, and Toph laid a hand on his shoulder, a sign of comfort. 

"How about you? What was it like back at your place." "It was all good until I turned six. My parents had always coddled me and stuff, always brushed me off too. One day, when I'd asked if I could play with the other kids, my dad said no, as per usual, but little old me had had enough. So I ran away and... Well... Met the badgermoles." Toph shrugged, she remembered how terrified she, was when they'd come across her. She thought they were going to eat her! But suddenly a huge wet tongue ran up her cheek. "Did you... Run away from home too?" Zuko asked cautiously, and Toph nodded. "Wasn't that hard. Aang and the others came to my house that day looking for a teacher, at first I didn't really wanna go, but then some stuff happened, and I had to kick butt in front of my earthbending teacher and my dad. I tried to convince them to let me go afterwards, but they said no. Had enough and just... Snuck out." She said, resting her chin in her hand as she blew a bang out of her face. 

"Do you miss them?" "Who? My parents?" Toph asked, and she felt Zuko nod. Toph snorted bitterly, "Much as I want to deny it, I do miss them." she said, and blinked back the tears that threatened to fill her eyes. "I miss my uncle and mom..." Zuko said, as if trying to share her struggles, "We all miss people in our lives. S'normal." She said, "Hey, c'mere." She whispered as she felt Zuko's heartbeat slow slightly. "When I was younger, my mom used to sing this old lullaby from the earth kingdom. Always helped me sleep." She adjusted her body and guided Zuko's head onto her lap. 

"The moon is bright, the wind is quiet.  
The leaves hang over the window.  
My child, fall asleep quickly.  
Sleep, dreaming sweet dreams.

The moon is bright, the wind is calm,  
Gently moving cradle,  
Mother's baby, close your eyes,  
Sleep, sleep, dreaming sweet dreams." 

Toph sang quietly, ignoring the tiniest tug at her heart at the happy memories of her mother kissing her forehead goodnight as she walked out of the room. When she heard Zuko's soft snores a grin tugged at her lips. Zuko was noticably exhausted, and she couldn't help but feel bad. She bent up a, stone to lean against as she herself let her eyelids drop, succumbing to her own tiredness. 

• • • • • • • •

The plaza was jam-packed. The Fire Lily festival had been going well all night. That was, until the final show. Just when they were about to light the fireworks, a band of New Ozai assassins came flying down from the buildings and began shooting fire towards them. "You're no Fire Lord!" One screamed angrily, blasting a fire ball towards Zuko, which was easily blocked by him. "Traitor!" Another screamed, but this time, it was Toph who protected him, raising up a stone wall from behind him. 

"Aang! Look out!" Katara warned, causing the young avatar to duck as an arrow flew past him and into a banner. "Thanks sweetie!" Aang said, airbending himself over one of the assassins and encasing his body in stone. Sokka was off with Suki, handling their own bunch of soldiers via fan and sword. "Is that the best you can do?" Sokka taunted, and the bulky man growled angrily, stomping his way over to the eighteen-year-old. Using his height to his advantage, Sokka slipped under the man's legs and grabbed onto his tunic, making him trip over himself and giving Aang the chance to trap him in rock. 

"You're going to bring chaos! Bring back Ozai!" One yelled, shooting a blast of fire towards Zuko from behind, Zuko dodged him and turned to attack. They were all too busy to notice the last assassin aiming a crossbow to Zuko's back. And he would've succeeded, had the blind earthbender not noticed what he was about to do. "No..." Toph turned to face Zuko, the man pressed the trigger and the arrow flew. 

"ZUKO!" A voice yelled, and as he turned to look, he was pushed onto the ground. He looked up at the sound of an abrupt gasp. There, Toph stood, an arrow embedded in her back, the sharp blade piercing through her chest. She was frozen in place as blood began to soak her tunic. "No... No! No! No!" Zuko yelled, clumsily making his way to Toph, catching her as she fell. "Z-Zuko..." She gasped, and the Fire Lord whimpered, "Help! Please!" He cried, and the others turned to look. 

Their eyes widened at the sight of their friend on the ground, blood blooming from the arrow wound on her chest, a small trail of blood flowing from the corner of her mouth. Aang quickly raised up an earth wall to shield them, but the fighting came to an end, some looked on in horror as they realized that they killed the wrong person. Anger fueled his guts and fire emitted from his mouth as he roared, "NO!" his friends ducked as the fire went several feet into the air, hitting the one who had aimed the crossbow at him right in the face. 

He yelled in agony as his skin melted off. 

"You!" Zuko said, tredding his way over to the screaming man angrily, "Zuko no!" Aang yelled, but Zuko pushed him off as he walked over, "Zuko!" Katara yelled in protest, Sokka and Suki were terrified, Zuko resembled his father so much, stricken with anger and hatred. Their eyes widened as his fist lit up with a bright burning flame. And just as he was about to hit the groaning man, a soft, strained voice called his name. "S-Sparky..." Zuko's fire slowly died and he snapped back to his senses. 

"You disgust me. You've dishonored not only yourself, but your entire bloodline." He spat, and the man shook in fear. 

Zuko hesitantly turned over to Toph, who Katara was trying so desperately to heal, but the arrow had hit her heart. Her breathing began to falter. "S-Sparky... C-come here." Her seismic sense was gone as her fingers and toes went numb. "I'm here, Toph... W-we're all here." Zuko said, tears flowing down his cheeks as he gingerly lifted the young girl's calloused hands. "What do you need?" Zuko whispered, knowing that Toph's time was coming to an end. 

"S-sing me our song, yeah?" She stuttered, and Katara's tears fell even more, her hands shook as Sokka held his sister close. Aang was sobbing into his hand as he fell down, kneeling as his staff was the only thing supporting his weight at this point. Zuko's breath stuttered but he sang anyway as Toph's face lost even more color. 

"T-The moon is bright, the w-wind is q-quiet.  
The leaves h-hang over the wind-dow.  
My c-child, fall a-asleep q-quickly.  
S-sleep, d-dreaming sweet dreams.

T-The moon is b-bright, the wind is c-calm,  
G-Gently m-moving cradle,  
M-Mother's b-baby, clo-ose your e-eyes,  
S-sleep, sle-eep, d-dreaming s-sweet dreams."

He and the others sobbed with every line as he saw Toph slipping in and out of consciousness. "I-I l-love you." They all cried and Toph felt a her own tears from the corners of her eyes. Their cries echoed throughout the center of the kingdom. Some families looked out from their homes, their hearts breaking at their Fire Lord in tears as he held onto his friend's dead body for dear life. "S-sleep dreaming sweet d-dreams." He hiccuped, as they cried into the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry not sorry--  
> —————  
> The Chinese lullaby is actually a thing, I didn't make it up, 东北摇篮曲, it's from the northeastern part of china.


End file.
